ROASTED FENNEL & QUINOA CRUNCH SALAD

Rather recently, I was talking to the man in my life about how my day went, happenings, weather… you know, small talk. Then he said something big, my idea of big anyway. He had bought himself some organic quinoa at Costco. This is awesome because A) he independently thought it would be cool to have some super grain kicking around and B) uuum, did you see A?

Suffice to say, I was rather pleased at this development and set out to make a little salad with some strong and fresh flavours that he could get into. I know quinoa salad recipes are ubiquitous to say the least, but this one’s a keeper for me anyway. Charred fennel, fresh dill, spicy radishes and a healthy dose of lemon… it’s a supreme combo. And the fennel loses a bit of its, I don’t know, fennel-y-ness once caramelized. It’s a bit softer and a lot less licorice tasting. Just nice.

Quinoa is pretty easy to cook and the rest of the vegetables need just a bit of chopping. I don’t even pre-whisk the dressing ingredients, just pour all of the components on top of the grain and vegetables and mix it up. Once you get the pre-soaking of the quinoa thing down, you’re off and running.

GRILLED/ROASTED FENNEL & QUINOA SALAD RECIPESPrint the recipe here!SERVES: 4-6NOTES: I soak quinoa for about 15 minutes before I strain and cook it, just to get some of the bitterness off. Also, you’re just grilling the fennel to soften it up a bit and get some char happening. Roasting would achieve the same thing more or less.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F if you’re roasting the fennel, and line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Preheat a gas grill to high if you’re grilling the fennel.

Cook the quinoa: combine quinoa with 1.5 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Grill the fennel: brush the fennel with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place onto a grill heated to high, cut side down. Grill until char marks are achieved on both sides and fennel feels a bit soft. Remove and cut into a rough small dice once cool. I do this by placing the flat side of the fennel down, cutting into lengthwise slices and then cutting those slices into smaller pieces.

Or roast the fennel: slice the halves of fennel and toss them in a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on the lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until soft and there are golden, caramelized edges.

Fluff the cooled quinoa with a fork and place into a large bowl. Add fennel, radishes, cucumber, dill and green onions. Add dijon, lemon juice and remaining olive oil on top. Season with salt and pepper and mix until thoroughly combined. Plate as you wish, garnished with the fennel fronds.

[…] Special thanks to Laura at The First Mess, from whom I adapted two recipes for the feature—her Grilled Fennel and Quinoa Salad as well as her Fennel and Carrot Slaw with Orange, Olives, and […]ReplyCancel

Kelly Campagnola06/07/2013 - 8:12 am

Made this this morning for a lunch time BBQ! A little nervous about introducing a bunch of meat eaters to the idea of fennel in a salad that isnt composed of potatoes and mayo – should be interesting. :) I subbed the quinoa for cous cous and its still very pleasant! So far I really like it – considering adding a couple chopped dates to sweeten it up just a tad! Obsessed with your website!!<3ReplyCancel

This was delicious, very refreshing and lovely. The fennel becomes nice and sweet upon roasting and plays very nicely off the cucumber and radishes. I added a small handful each of toasted pepitas and pine nuts. Great flavors all around! Thank you for the recipe!ReplyCancel

Jackie Ryan26/03/2014 - 2:07 pm

Is there a way to get a printer friendly recipe?? Am I missing something??
Thanks.ReplyCancel

[…] Roasted Fennel & Quinoa Crunch Salad: I made this as a side for a family dinner and everyone thought it was great! The roasted fennel was really good and all of the flavors and textures melded together really well. I think I might make it again this weekend, especially now that I have a HUGE bag of quinoa courtesy of CostCo! […]ReplyCancel

Joe Freilich28/03/2015 - 12:46 pm

Hi, where can i purchase the red rimmed bowl shown above? Is It part of a set ? ThanksReplyCancel